Flanged wire fabric



April 7, i942. E. l.. BLAGKBURN 2,278,859

FLANGED WIRE FABRIQ Filed oct. :29, 195s 42 sheets-sheet 1 l r j' 'Xms[es s?! K v2); Z@

fw M' ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 7, 1942 FLAN GED WIRE FABRIC Ernest Linwood Blackburn,Audubon, N. J., as-

signor to Korb-Pettit Wire Fabrics & Iron Works, Inc., Philadelphia,Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 29, 1938, SerialNo. 237,659

Claims.

My invention relates to wire fabric adapted for use as a screen, apron,or belt, and particularly as a conveyor belt. The invention isespecially concerned with wire fabric flanged along one or both edges,and with making such marginally flanged fabric as flexible as possible,notwithstanding the bending of its margin(s) to one side to vform aflange or flanges. Hitherto it has not been possible to produce wirefabric with laterally bent upstanding margins that w-ould take a sharpbend, so that it has been necessary to provide wire fabric belting withedge flanges consisting of short overlapping sheet metal plates,attached to the wire fabric so as to interfere with its flexure aslittle as possible. struction is expensive, and is also unsatisfactoryin other ways.

My invention permits of making flexible wire fabric with outstandingmarginal flanges formed by laterally bending wire strands of the fabric,and suciently extensible to let the fabric take a sharp bend-virtuallyas sharp (in many cases) as the main body of the fabric would be capableof taking if it had no lateral flange(s). Such fabric is not difficultor costly to manufacture, but can, on the contrary, be rapidly producedin quantity by usual wire-fabric making methods and machinery, and atlittle more cost per pound than corresponding unflanged wire fabric. Myinvention is adaptable to various different flexible wire fabricconstructions, only one of which is here illustrated and particularlyreferred to in the following explanation of the invention, being afabric whose main body portion consists of transverse wire coils withinterconnecting transverse pivot strands. While the particular fabrichere illustrated has its marginal flanges upstanding at right angles tothe body of the fabric, the invention is equally ap plicable when theangle .of the flanges with the body of the fabric is more or less than aright angle.

In my construction of flexible laterally flanged wire fabric, I obtainthe extensibility of the flanges necessary to thedesired flexibility ofthe fabric by'modication of the construction or texture of the fabric atthe upturned edges, the modification which confers extensibility beingpreferably an omission of some of the strands of wire that are presentin the main body of the marginal flange(s), while in this present appli-Such a concation I particularly disclose and specially claim theomission of coil strands from the margin(s). In either case, theomission need not entail any material change in the conformation of theretained strands. The fabric body construction here particularly. shownand referred to is that disclosed in my application Serial No. 180,760,filed December 20, 1937, now Patent No. 2,149,834, though the presentinvention is by no means limited to this particular fabric texture.

Various other features and advantages of the invention. will appear fromthe following description of a species or form of embodiment, and fromthe drawings. Aside from the texture of the main body portion of thefabric, all the features shown or described are of my invention, so faras novel over the prior art.

In the drawings,

Figs; I, II, and III, are plan, end, and side,` views of lengths offlanged-edged flexible wire fabric embodying my invention, Fig. Ishowing portions of the fabric in horizontal section, and Fig. IIIshowing the fabric bent around a segment of a curved guide or pulleyrim, which appears in section.

Figs. IV and V are plan views of single wire coils which are elements ofthe fabric construction shown in Figs. I, II and III;

Figs. VI and VII are side views of these coils;

Fig. VIII is a plan View of a plurality of sets of such coils assembledand pivotally connected together as in the completed fabric, portions ofone of such sets of coils being omitted; and,

Fig. IX is a side view of a pivotal connecting Wire such as shown inFig. VIII.

I will first describe the general construction of the main body M of theparticular fabric here illustrated, and then explain the construction ofits laterally bent marginal ange(s) m. To make the drawings clearer,some of the wires are stippled in certain figures.

Referring to Figs. I, II, and III of the drawings, the main body portionM of the fabric as there illustrated may be characterized as having eachof its faces formed by a series of transverse rows A of short lengths ofwire l0, Il, which may be inclined relative to the length of the fabric,preferabl,7 at different angles in alternation. As here shown, thealternate lengths I0, Il of each row A are oppositely (but equally)inclined, so that any tendency of the lengths l0 to push the fabricsidewise, in service, by their engagement with supporting pulleys orrolls (Fig. III) is counteracted by the opposite tendency of the lengthsI'I. In each row A, the set of alternate lengths I are slightlystaggered (lengthwise of the fabric) relative to the interlapping setconsisting of the lengths II. Each set of lengths I0 or II at one faceof the fabric corresponds in lengthwise position to a set of lengths IIor I0, respectively, at the opposite face of the fabric, and each wirelength I0 or II of a row A at one face has its ends (integrally)connected at I2 with lengths I0 or II, respectively, at the oppositeface, belonging to the corresponding row A there.

Regarding any two successive rows A, A at either face, it will be seenthat their lengths Hl, I I interlap, and that a (straight) transversewire strand I3 extends across the fabric between these interlappinglengths I I I at the two faces of the fabric, and (by engagement withthe connective portions I2 already referred to) ,interconnects the twosuccessive rows A, A like a pivot. As shown in Fig. II, the lengths III,II that lie substantially opposite one another at the two faces ineffect form a simple chain-link composed of strands which overlap oneanother, in the midplane or pitch-plane of the fabric, at the ends orbends I2 of the link,-which are thus double,-

and the pivot strands I3 extend through both these double bends of eachsuch link, which cross in the midor pitch-plane of the fabric.

In the preferred form and 'construction here illustrated, the fabric ismade up by assembling wire spirals or coils a and a (Figs. IV, V, VI andVII) which are oppositely wound, as rights and lefts, but may otherwisebe just alike. Preferably, the convolutions of these coils a, a areelongated lengthwise of the fabric,,-or in other words, flattened in thedirection of its thickness. Each row A in the fabric corresponds to astructural unit which consists of a pair (or set) of the coils a and aWhose convolutions have been interlapped (as it were) by pushing themamongst one another while keeping the coils in the same plana-two suchstructural units A appearing in Fig. VIII. As a result of this mode ofassembling, the long sides of the respective convolutions, which formthe lengths I0 and II in the fabric, all lie in the two parallel planesthat define its opposite faces, While the bends I2 of the convolutionsof the two coils cross and bear against each other at opposite ends ofthe convolutions, in an intermediate plane which is the midorpitch-plane of the fabric. As shown in Fig. VIII, two such units A, Aare assembled with the convolutions of their adjacent coils a and ainterlapped (more or less), and may be secured together by the strand I3inserted through the crossed bends I2, I2 of both coils a, a of eachunit A, Figs. VIII and IX. From this beginning, any length of fabricdesired can be built up, by simply adding on more units A and securingthem with the necessary additional strands I3,- one of such additionalstrands I3 being also partly shown in Fig. VIII.

As a matter of manipulation in manufacture, it may be found convenientto add single coils a and a in alternation to the initial unit A,inserting a strand I3 after adding each pair or set of coils a, a tosecure them. In this case, the assemblage of coils to form units A is,so to speak, merged in the addition of single coils a and a to thefabric.

As shown in Fig. I, the long convolution sides or lengths Il) andl II ofthe units A are so proportioned relative to the angle of divergence ofthese lengths I0 and II that when the strands I3 securing the units Atogether are perfectly straight, as here shown, adjacent lengths I6 andII of adjacent units A lie almost in contact. To the eye, therefore, thefabric in Fig. I is composed of herringbone stripes of oppositelyinclined lengths I8, Il which seem to touch one another without a break,thus forming an unbroken face. Hence the fabric presents in its faces amaximum number of wire lengths Ill, I Il giving it maximum tensilestrength and maximum surface friction With the pulleys or rollssupporting it in service, as well as with the load resting on it, and aminimum of interstices. While such a close-textured fabric can bedesigned to bend to a radius of an inch or less, it is otherwise veryrigid, and cannot be made to stretch or contract lengthwise withoutexure, or be distorted diagonally. As shown in Figs. II and Il'l, thefabric presents unbroken fiat faces at both sides, owing to thecontiguity and interlapping of the wire lengths III, II. It is obvious,however, that by making the lengths IIJ and II longer, or otherwisesuitably varying the structure, these lengths I!) and II can be spacedapart as much as desired, giving a more open texture and a lighterweight per unit of areathough with a corresponding sacrice of strength,rigidity, and surface friction.

The margins m of the fabric differ in construction from its main bodyportion M in the omission of certain coil strands a or a. from eachmargin: viz., in the present instance alternate coils are thus omittedfrom each margin. As here shown, the coil strands omitted from the twomargins are the same: i. e., all the coil strands a are bent and extendup into each margin m, and all of the coil strands a terminate in themain body M of the fabric at the edge or corner where the margin is bentupward. In this particular construction, all the pivot strands I3 arebent to extend upward to the upper edge of each margin, where theirupper ends are preferably secured to those of a length I 0 of the coil ain a secure manner, as shown at IAL-as by electric welding or othermethod of fusion.

Of course it will be understood that these features of the marginconstruction admit of some variations as regards the proportion andcharacter of body strands along the length of the fabric that extend upinto a marginal flange: e. g., some of the pivot strands I3 mightterminate in the body of the fabric without extending up into the marginange; or some of the strands a might terminate in the body of thefabric, as well as all the coil strands a. Or, on the other hand, allthe coil strands a and part of the coil strands a (e. g., alternate coilstrands a) might extend up into the margin ange m, if extremeflexibility were not required. The exact construction illustrated givesvery great exibility, approaching or equalling what the main body VM ofthe fabric would have if its flanges m, m were omitted.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion formed ofcoiled wires, and pivot wires by which the coiled wires areinterconnected in said main body portion against separation lengthwisethereof, whereby lengthwise extension of said main body portion isprevented, while said coiled wires are free to move relative to oneanother for exure of the fabric, said fabric also having a marginal angecomprising certain of the main body wires bent and prolonged to one sideof said main body portion at an angle `relative thereto, andsuccessively interconnected by the pivot wires in said flange withfreedom to separate lengthwise of the fabric when the latter ilexes awayfrom the flange, whereby lengthwise extension of said flange ispermitted.

2. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of transverselyextending coiled wires and transverse pivot wires pivotally internconnecting said coiled wires to permit flexure of the fabric whilepreventing lengthwise extension of said main body portion, a proportionof said coiled wires along the length of the fabric having end portionsbent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstandingflange along the margin of the fabric, while the rest of said coiledwires terminate in the main body of the fabric and thus allow separationof wires in the ange when the fabric ilexes away from the flange,whereby lengthwise extension of said flange is permitted.

3. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of coiled wiresinterconnected for longitudinal flexure of the fabric, a proportion ofsaid coiled wires, along the length of the fabric, having portions bentto one side of the main body of the fabric to form an outstanding flangealong the margin of the fabric, while the other coiled wires terminatein the main body of the fabric. 4. A flexible wire fabric comprising amain body portion of transversely extending coiled wires and transversepivot wires pivotally interconnecting said coiled wires to permit'longitudinal flexure of the fabric, the pivot wires and a proportion ofsaid coiled wires, along the length of the fabric, having end portionsbent to one side of the main body of the fabric to'form an outstandingflange along the margin of the fabric, while the rest of said coiledwires terminate in the main body of the fabric.

5. A flexible wire fabric comprising a main body portion of transverselyextending coiled wires with their convolutions interlapped andtransverse pivot wires pivotally interconnecting them, said pivot wiresand a proportion of said coiled wires, along the length of the fabric,having end portions bent to one side of the main body of the fabric toform an outstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while therest of said coiled wires terminate in the main body of the fabric.

6. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein the fabric has lateralmarginal flanges formed as aforesaid at both its opposite edges, andwherein a proportion of the coiled strands, along the length of thefabric, terminate in the main body of the fabric adjacent each of itsmargins.

vother coiled strands terminate in the main body of the fabric adjacenteach of its margins.

8. A flexible wire fabric comprising a series of transverse strandswhich are oppositely coiled in alternation, and have their convolutionsinterlapped in sets, each set having the convolutions of its componentcoils crossed at their opposite sides, and the successive sets beingsimilarly interlapped, and a common pivotl strand extending through andinterconnecting the several coils of each pair of interlapped sets toform the main body of the fabric; the end portions of said pivot strandsand of a proportion of said coiled strands, along the length of thefabric, being bent to one side of the main body of the fabric to form anoutstanding flange along the margin of the fabric, while the othercoiled strands terminate in said main body of the fabric, so that saidoutstanding marginal flange is variable in length when the fabricflexes.

9. A flexible wire fabric comprising a series of transverse units eachcomprising a pair of strands oppositely coiled, with their convolutionsinterlapped and crossing at both the opposite sides of the coil, and aseries of single transverse pivot strands each extending through andinterconnecting both coils of' adjacent units to form the main body ofthe fabric; the end portions of said pivot strands and of alternatecoiled strands being bent to one side of the main body of the fabric toform an outstanding marginal flange for the fabric, while the othercoiled strands terminate in said main body of the fabric, so that said youtstanding marginal flange is variable in length when the fabricflexes.

10. The invention as defined in claim 9 wherein the fabric has marginalflanges as aforesaid at both its opposite edges, and wherein alternatecoiled strands are bent to one side of the main body of the fabric andextend into both of said flanges, while the other coiled strandsterminate in the main body of the fabric adjacent each of its margins.

ERNEST LINWOOD BLACKBURN.

